Treinen: "My stuff plays, I just have to execute pitches"

PITTSBURGH - Both times that Blake Treinen has gotten a big league start thus far in his young career, he's pitched pretty darn well, but just hasn't been able to earn the win.

Against the Dodgers back on May 6, it was a rough fifth inning that featured a couple of errors, one by Treinen himself, that led to a loss.

Tonight, it was a combination of factors. A four-batter stretch in the third inning where he lost command didn't help. An inability to retire Andrew McCutchen also was an issue, but that's a problem the rest of the Nationals staff has, as well. The Nats' bats also didn't give Treinen much help, as the team managed just one run despite a handful of hard-hit balls.

After the game, Treinen discussed his outing and how he hopes to improve going forward.

On the third inning: "I just lost feel for a little bit. I just had to reset myself and try to find the zone again. Just let the game speed up a little bit. I just need to slow it down next time. With two outs, just need to realize I need to settle down and get the next guy, and we can get out of the inning. ...

"It's frustrating to hit somebody with bases loaded. That really bothers me. Being able to execute the next pitch was really big."

On pitching coach Steve McCatty's message when he came out to the mound in the third inning: "Trust my stuff. Be aggressive. Stay aggressive. Work my sinker down. Just try to get out of the jam. Slow the game down a little bit."

On McCutchen: "He handled me pretty good tonight. I just need to execute pitches a little better next time. My stuff plays. I just have to execute pitches. Next time I'm out, I'll do a better job of it."

On his overall takeaways from the outing: "Just a lot of pitches. Waste a few here and there. A lot of walks. Got to cut down on that. Other than that, trying to keep our team in the game by getting out of some situations I put myself into. I'm happy with a couple of pitches I made in tough situations. I just need to limit the walks next time."

On developing confidence that he can compete as a starter at this level: "They made good plays for me defensively. Seeing some of the success in jams and executing pitches, I feel like I've been able to let my stuff play here. Whatever my opportunities will be, I'll try to make the most of them."

On his velocity dropping later in the outing: "I don't know about velocity or anything. Probably just one of those days."